Daniel Pierce
My full name is Daniel Clayton Pierce. I was born in Ardmore, Oklahoma on September 6th, 1990 to Danny Joe Pierce and Karen LaNell Pierce. I have lived in Pauls Valley Oklahoma for most of my life. I went to elementary, junior high, and graduated high school in Pauls Valley. For a short time I lived in Ardmore Oklahoma and went to Plainview high school for my sophomore year, but moved back to Pauls Valley after. I moved to Edmond Oklahoma in 2009 to attend The University of Central Oklahoma where I earned a degree in music performance. I moved to Norman Oklahoma in 2012 to get my Bachelors degree in Broadcasting and Electronic Media. When I graduate I want to move to somewhere on the west coast and pursue a career as an audio engineer. Music has always been my passion. I can't imagine any other career for myself that did not involve working with music. Immediate Family Karen LaNell Pierce is my mother. She is the youngest of two. She has an older brother named Chris Lehne. She was born in Durant, Oklahoma on August 21st 1962. She graduated from Davis high school in 1980. Danny Joe Pierce is my father. He is the second oldest of 5. He attended school in Maysville and Pauls Valley. My parents met in Pauls Valley in 1982, and got married four years later in 1986 in Ardmore Oklahoma. My parents had an outdoor wedding in the summer in my grandmothers back yard. My father worked as an electrician until around 1995 and then started a bakery business with one of his brothers. He now is one of the managers the the lumber yard in Pauls Valley. My mother has worked at the Homeland in Pauls Valley since she graduated from high school in 1980. In 2001 she made a choice to attended Metropolitan College to learn how to become a medical transcriptionist. She still currently works at Homeland and also works retail for Mission Foods. My parents are no longer married, but still communicate and are still friends with one another. I have a half sister by my father. Her name is Monica Brown. She was born on August 15, 1983 She got married to Eric Brown on June 26, 2002. They have two kids of their own Tristen Brown and Lilly Brown. They currently live in Purcell, Oklahoma. Family Origins The two sides of my family are very different from one another. I feel that is a good thing because it has made me become a well rounded individual and tolerant of many peoples views and faiths. My dad was born to Billy Carl Pierce and Lola Felan. My grandfather was born on April 19, 1930. in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. As a child he grew up in Stratford. He also served in the army during the Korean war from 1952-1954. He worked for the city of Pauls Valley until he retired. He married my grandmother on August 23, 1958 in Gainsville Texas. My grandfather passed away on June 19, 2006. My grandmother grew up in Garvin Springs and then later went to high school in Maysville, Oklahoma. She has lived In Pauls Valley with my grandfather for most of their lives. She worked as a waitress at a local diner Called "The Dairy Twist" in Pauls Valley for a very long time until she retired in the 1990's. My grandmother still lives in Pauls Valley today. She lives alone but has a boxer named Chloe to keep her company. My mother was born to Clayton William Lehne and Viola LaRue Ainsworth. My grandfather was born in Foss, Oklahoma on March 22, 1931. He grew up on a farm in Foss where as a child he helped his mother and older sister maintain their crops and their farm animals. He was left as the man of the house at the young age of three when his father passed away due to a ruptured appendix. As an adult he mostly worked construction and carpentry type jobs. On December 3rd 1956 he married my grandmother in Sayre, Oklahoma. He passed away in 1984 in London, Texas. My grandmother was born in Cordell, Oklahoma on June 7th, 1938 among 14 other brothers and sisters. As a child she grew up in Cordell working as a farm hand pulling and selling cotton for her family. As an adult she and my grandfather moved to Oregon where she started working at the grocery store Safeway where she held many different job titles throughout her career. After she retired from Safeway she started selling Mary Kay cosmetics as a part time hobby and to earn extra income. She passed away on July 12 in 2009. Race and Culture As far as race goes with my family everyone is white and from german and irish decent on my moms s ide of the family. My dads side of the family has hispanic origins. My grandmother is half mexican and half spaniard, my dad and his four siblings are all 1/4 hispanic and that puts me at being 1/8th hispanic. You can tell by looking at my grandmother that she is hispanic, it is also very clear in looking at my dad and his siblings that they have hispanic origins, however it is not visible in me. I look 100% white, just like all of my cousins. Holidays at my grandmothers house are visually interesting. Picture a room full of caucasian grandkids gathered around their hispanic grandmother and a table full of mexican food. I love that on Christmas at my grandmothers house we have mexican food, and not just any mexican food. I'm talking about homemade authentic mexican food. I love that we as a family hold on to this tradition. Its something very small as far as culture goes but as the years have gone by it has become special to me. It is a tradition that I will carry on with me when I have a family of my own. Summary/Personal Reflection I love the special blend that my family has because it has help shape me into the person I am today. One of the main things that I have learned from both sides of my family is tolerance for other peoples lifestyles and beliefs. On both sides of my family I have extremely religious people, atheists, gay people, and people of different races. I have a lot of family that are very religious, but they do not force their opinions or beliefs on anyone else that thinks differently. They also don't act like they are better than others with different beliefs which I think is a very good thing. The atheists in my family are also tolerant of other peoples beliefs. there has never been a dispute in my family about difference in religion or belief. There are a few openly gay people in my family and they feel comfortable being themselves in front of the family. the ones that have significant others bring them to family events and everyone treats everyone like family. On both sides of my family there are interracial marriages and everyone is very accepting and does not see race as an issue. I think this is how things should be, and I am very grateful that I was raised to have tolerance and respect for everyone regardless of race, gender, or sexual preference. I wish that everyone could experience a family with the amount of tolerance and acceptance for people that my family has. Category:Students